Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

In the setting sun, the afterglow casts a shadow, illuminating the corpses on the ground.

A dejected team was slowly retreating from Qingzhou.

After a day and night of pursuit, the Han army finally got rid of the Wei army.

But the price was a great defeat.

Even Huo Quji, who was always full of vigor and vitality, looked embarrassed at this moment. He dragged his blood-stained armor and rode his horse slowly forward.

At this moment, there was no arrogance at all on the young Duke of Protectorate, only endless regret.

Knowing clearly that Chu Ning was cunning, why should he believe that Chu Ning would join him in attacking Sima Yi?

Even if Chu Ning agreed to this matter personally, he should have been more cautious.

If he had been more cautious, perhaps he wouldn't have suffered such a disastrous defeat today.

After all, it was a bit outrageous that Chu Kuang went to surround and kill bandits halfway.

Unfortunately, he knew Chu Kuang's character too well, so he thought it was an unexpected incident.

Now that I think about it, it must have been arranged by Chu Ning in advance.

Chu Ning was certain that he knew Chu Kuang's character and felt that Chu Kuang was acting on impulse and was not deliberately delaying the time for the military meeting.

Chu Ning, take everything into account.

This time, he was defeated not to Sima Yi, nor to the Wei army, but to Chu Ning.

All of this was Chu Ning’s trap!

On the surface, he agreed to join forces with the Han army to attack Sima Yi from both sides.

In fact, he deliberately delayed time under the pretext of suppressing bandits, causing the Han army to arrive in Qingzhou first.

Sima Yi would naturally not let the Han army and the Chu army join together. He took this opportunity to send troops and kill the Han army by surprise.

The more Huo Quji thought about it, the angrier he became. He couldn't help but clench his hands, and a hint of hatred flashed in his eyes.

He held Chu Ning responsible for this.

Just then, a horse came galloping over.

"General, the casualties have been counted, and our army is down by 50,000 men."

As soon as these words came out, Huo Quji could not help but slowly raised his head, staring at the spy, and said in a cold voice:

"Fifty thousand less? Do you know how many died in the battle and how many are missing?"

The spy shook his head and said, "I can't go to the battlefield to check. I can only rely on the number of soldiers we have here to calculate how many people are missing."

"However, many of our soldiers were lost in this battle. If our soldiers left any traces, they would definitely find us."

Upon hearing this, Huo Quji turned around and looked at the people behind him, only to see that all of them were dejected, with their heads lowered and looking listless.

So many people were lost this time, many people died in the battle, and they were defeated by the Wei army. The morale and military spirit of the Han army had dropped to the lowest level.

Although Huo Quji wanted to hold those missing soldiers accountable, now was not the time.

Now that people are demoralized and morale is low, further accountability will only make things more difficult.

Thinking of this, Huo Quji sighed and said, "The whole army should retreat to Yancheng, and pass on this message to the lost soldiers to come back, and say that I will forgive the past."

Being separated on the battlefield was a serious matter. At the very least, it could be due to being dispersed by the Wei army, and at the most, it could be due to deserting the battlefield.

If we really want to hold someone accountable, those so-called people who were dispersed may be deserters.

However, the Han army suffered a great defeat in this battle. If this matter is dealt with severely at this moment, it is very likely that the Han army would not dare to come back.

The only solution is to let bygones be bygones.

As long as people are still here, there will be a chance to win the battle in the future.

If everyone is gone, then it is possible that everything is gone.

At the order, the Han army immediately retreated towards Yancheng.

On this side, the Wei army was reporting to Sima Yi after taking inventory of the battlefield.

A general with thin clothes and bright eyes bowed and saluted: "Your Highness, in this battle, more than 35,000 Han soldiers were beheaded, and our army suffered more than 18,000 casualties."

"In addition, about 20,000 Han troops were either dispersed or fled. The main force of the Han army is now retreating towards Yancheng."

Sima Yi nodded slightly, stroked his beard and smiled, "Very good. After this battle, the morale of the Han army has dropped sharply, and they dare not attack Qingzhou again in the short term."

As he said this, he looked at the general and said with a smile: "This battle is thanks to General Zhong Hui's proper command."

"Send an order to reward the three armies, and also have the troops from Yanzhou come here for training!"

The first few words excited everyone present, but the last sentence was puzzling.

Zhong Hui frowned and said, "Prince Gaoling, Yanzhou is close to Maple Leaf City. If we transfer the troops there, wouldn't that be..."

"Yes, I promised Chu Ning that if we win this battle, Yanzhou will be his!"

Sima Yi put his hands behind his back and said calmly: "This is the real price of defeating the Han army in this battle. Otherwise, why do you think the Chu army suddenly encountered bandits and robbers halfway?

In fact, that was arranged by Chu Ning himself, just to find an excuse not to come here."

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked.

It turned out that they really thought that the Chu army was blocked by bandits, and that the Thirteenth Prince Chu Kuang, who was known for his hot temper, actually went to suppress the bandits.

It turned out that all this was just the plan of the Prince of Chu.

Their King Gaoling had already reached an agreement with Chu Ning in private, which led to this war.

Zhong Hui was puzzled and frowned as he asked, "Prince Gaoling, is this really worth it?"

"Whether it's worth it or not, I don't know."

Sima Yi shook his head and chuckled, "But I know that if we cannot defeat the Han army in this battle, not only will Yanzhou be lost, but even your life and mine will be lost in Qingzhou."

"If that's the case, do you think it's worth it?"

"This……"

Zhong Hui was stumped by the question, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

According to Sima Yi, it was equivalent to exchanging Yanzhou for everyone's lives, which was a good deal.

Although Yanzhou had to be given to Chu Ning, at least they survived, could keep Qingzhou, and defeat the Han army.

After all, they got the upper hand.

"So that's how it is. King Gaoling is wise. I will learn from your advice!" Zhong Hui bowed respectfully.

Sima Yi shook his head: "Alright, let Yanzhou's troops retreat immediately to avoid Chu Ning's misunderstanding."

"Yes!"

Sima has always been quick in doing things. Since he has promised Chu Ning, he will not go back on his word.

Of course, more importantly, he does not have the qualifications or strength to regret now.

Three days later, the Yanzhou troops received the news and retreated completely.

At the same time, Chu Kuang also led his troops into Yanzhou.

The Chu cavalry quickly took over the entire Yanzhou and completely occupied all important places.

Chu Kuang stood on the wall of Yancheng, looking at the well-arranged streets in the city, with a look of satisfaction on his face:

"The prince is really amazing. He got Yanzhou without any effort. If we calculate the time, Ma Chao should have also taken the two states handed over by the Han Dynasty with his troops!

In this way, the three states of Wei State fell into the hands of our dynasty."

But when it comes to excitement, Chu Kuang's face suddenly changes slightly, revealing a worried look: "I don't know how the prince is doing in Maple Leaf City. I guess the Qin army is attacking the city at this moment.

The Qin army has mobilized its elite troops this time, and we don’t know whether the 30,000 people in Maple Leaf City can hold on! "